Lineage
by FantasyBard
Summary: Lineage: sometimes, our lineages can define our destinies. Danielle Kirk and Keara Pike have always felt this to be true for themselves in more ways than one. As new enemies arise to threaten their world and everything they know, they will find that the best way to prepare for the future, might be to look to the past.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys. Thanks for being willing to click on this story just because you thought it looked interesting. This is my first attempt at a Star Trek fan fiction, though I have been reading fics on this site, ever since last year when Into Darkness came out (Yeah, Benedict Cumberbatch hooked me completely, but that's a story for another time). Anyway, this is going to be Kirk/OC and a McCoy/OC story. I have just a few things to say before this story gets under way, because there are a few things that I am doing differently than some other writers that you might want to be aware of. **

**First off, though I do like Star Trek, and have seen a lot of the shows and moves (Star Trek Voyager being my favorite), I am by no means a Trekkie. I don't really know a great deal of the history which is supposed to be part of the Star Trek universe. That being the case, I am making this up as I go along. Since the 2009 movie also established this universe as an alternate timeline anyway, I feel a bit more comfortable about doing that. **

**Secondly, I decided to do something a bit different with this story. It will become a bit more apparent in later chapters what I have planned, but to give a brief summary, one of the things that I wondered when watching Into Darkness for the first time was what might have happened to the other Augments who were not with Khan in cyro-sleep. There were only 72 Augments with him, and yet, during the Eugenics Wars, they were able to conquer the earth, so they must have been a lot more of them. **

**Basically, I decided to explore the possibility that there might have been some Augments who survived the Wars and any subsequent purges, and that their descendents lived on, along with their enhanced abilities. Part of this story will be exploring that concept and the extent of the powers that the Augments received because of the genetic manipulation. I will be explaining that more in the next chapter, when we meet my OC, Keara Pike. For right now, in this first chapter, we will be meeting Danielle Kirk. **

**I hope that you enjoy story. I welcome constructive criticism in the comments, but please no flames. I look forward to hearing what you think of this story. This story will be rated T for scenes of violence and some suggestive material. **

**I do not own Star Trek. It is the property of Gene Rodenberry and Paramount. This is merely an exercise in creativity, and I am getting no money for this at all. **

**Now, without further ado, please enjoy Of Descendents and Siblings (probably will change that title as soon as I can think of something better). **

Chapter One:

Danielle Kirk would never forget the day when her life changed forever.

Her mom had gone into labor with her new baby brother a few hours before and she had been waiting in the room with one of the nurses. Her daddy was on the bridge, but he had promised that he would come down as soon as he was born.

She had been reading a children's book of fairy tales. She had been relatively calm, and mostly excited about the prospect of having another brother. Her older brother George was back on earth staying with relatives. He had never really had much of an appetite for space travel. Danielle loved George very much, but she did sometimes feel ignored by him. She was excited to have a younger sibling, and had already decided to herself that she would treat him differently.

She knew that mommy would be all right. The doctor was with her and he would make sure that her mom and her baby brother would be safe.

So, she was not afraid. Until the ship began shaking. Danielle knew that space travel wasn't always a smooth ride. She had been through her fair share of ion storms and attacks from hostile aliens. They were scary, but they were scary in the same way that a thunderstorm was frightening. There were a lot of loud noises, bright flashes of light and shaking, but it always ended, eventually.

But this time, it felt different. For some reason, Danielle felt as though the shuddering of the ship was more violent and that the explosions she was hearing were almost angrier in a way. It was the only way she, as a five year old would have been able too explain it. This time, she felt more scared that she had ever been before.

This fear which Danielle felt was a mere microcosm of the rising tension which was taking place on the ship. What had at first appeared to be a lightening storm in space had morphed into a nightmarish scene of chaos and death. Danielle, in her later years, would learn that it had been a Romulan ship, appearing from seemingly nowhere, and that had immediately opened fire on _USS Kelvin_. This ship dwarfed the _Kelvin_, being at least ten times larger and more massive. It resembled a kraken, the legendary monster of the deep seas, with enormous fin-like structures on its aft end. It possessed weaponry that pierced the _Kelvin_'s shields and sliced through its hull as easily as melted butter.

The attack had lasted only two minutes at most, and yet, it had been enough to leave dozens dead, and the _Kelvin_ crippled, at the mercy of the Romulans. Given the reputation of that particular alien race, there was a very good chance that they would be getting no mercy at all.

The captain of the ship, a man by the name of Robau, had been ordered to go to the Romulan ship in order to negotiate terms for surrender. He had given command of the ship to Danielle's father, George Kirk. It had been little surprise that Robau had been killed, and the Romulans had opened fire on the _Kelvin_ once more. This time, they would not stop until the _Kelvin_ had been reduced to space dust.

But Danielle did not know any of this at the time, the only thing that she remembered hearing was her father's voice over the comm system of the ship, "All decks, this is the captain speaking, evacuate the ship immediately."

Her father sounded different. Danielle could tell that right away. She had never heard fear in his voice before, but in that announcement to the entire ship, she heard fear and strain. She felt confused and anxious. She wanted to know what was going on. But nobody did. What happened next was all very much of a blur. The nurses gathered her up, and rushed out into the corridor, where they were met by the doctor and the nurse who had been helping her mother through the labor.

She was in a hospital gown, being pushed in a wheelchair. Sweat glistened on her skin from the exhaustion of the contractions. She was even more terrified than Danielle herself in some ways, as she was about to give birth in the midst of an alien attack and with no idea where he husband was or when he would be joining him.

"Get to your designated shuttlecraft, begin evacuation."

"That's George's voice. What's happening?" She begged, looking wildly all around her, as if hoping that she could find the answer from one of the medical personnel.

"We'll deliver it in the shuttle. Go!" said the doctor, as he pushed the wheelchair hurriedly through the corridors of the ship, making their way to the shuttle bay. While doing so, he turned to the nurse who was carrying Danielle. "How is Danielle? Is she all right?"

"I'm fine." Said Danielle, before the nurse could answer. He voice was shaking, but she was determined that she would not allow that fear to rule her. "What about my mommy? Is she all right? What about my brother?"

"Don't worry, Danielle." Said Winona, trying to sound comforting, even though she was between contractions. "I'm sure that you're father will be joining us soon. Just be a good girl, and do what the doctor and nurse ask you, all right?"

Danielle nodded, chewing on her bottom lip, and holding her stuffed teddy bear even closer. Suddenly, the communicator that Winona had been carrying beeped urgently. "George." She cried, in relief.

"You're okay, thank god. What about Danni, is she with you?"

Winona glanced up to Danielle, and said, "Yes, she's here, George."

"Good. I have medical shuttle 37 standing by. Get to it now. Can you do that?"

"Yes." Winona gasped out, feeling the onset of another contraction.

"Everything's gonna be okay." Said George, doing his best to reassure them amidst the direness of the situation. "Do exactly as I say, shuttle 37."

"George, its coming, our baby." Said Winona. She was desperate that George would be able to get there in time, to see the birth of their third child. "It's coming now."

"I'm on my way." George told them, before he cut the transmission off.

Danielle and her mother had arrived in the shuttle bay with the medical team. The cavernous room was a scene of people running in what seemed to be every direction at once, responding to their captain's call to evacuate the ship. Winona suddenly let loose a terrible scream, and Danielle hid her face in the shoulder of the nurse that was carrying her. She was a sensitive soul, and she hated seeing anyone that she cared about going through such pain. And what made the pain even worse for Winona was the uncertainty of it all.

Several seconds of groaning and straining later, the contraction passed. "That was a big one."

"Just keep breathing." Said the doctor, "You'll be fine."

"And the baby too, right? And my daughter?'

"And them, too, of course." Said the doctor, after only a moment's hesitation.

They arrived at the shuttle, and hurried inside. The nurse who was carrying Danielle deposited her gently on a soft chair across from where they were putting her mother onto the bed of the shuttle. The nurse told her, gently but firmly, to remain there and be quiet while she helped Winona. Danielle nodded obediently, and tried to be patient. She knew that it was the only thing that she could do right now to help her mother. But that didn't mean that she didn't squeeze her eyes shut and try to plug her ears against the sounds of her labor.

But that also meant that she missed the crucial conversation that took place at the front of the shuttle. One of the medical officers rushed to the front of the shuttle and began to start up its engines. He heard George's urgent voice through the comm., "Captain to shuttle 37, are my wife and daughter onboard?"

"Yes, sir. They are."

The next words seemed to be torn from George's mouth, as though the very act of speaking them caused him nothing less than physical pain. "I need you to go now, do you hear me?"

"We're waiting on you, sir." Said the officer.

"No, just go, take off immediately. That's an order." Said George, forcefully, in a tone that held no argument.

The officer paused for half a second, before he said, "Yes, sir." With a great deal of reluctance, he punched in the appropriate commands, and the shuttle engine's roared, taking off from the shuttle bay of the _Kelvin_ and flying into space.

The sudden motion of the shuttle jolted Winona. She jerked up from where she had been lying down, and her cried to the pilot, "Wait, we cannot go yet." Her voice was high with panic and fear. "Please stop."

"Mommy, where's daddy?" said Danielle, who had heard this whole thing, but hadn't realized what it meant until the shuttle took off without her father on it. "He was supposed to be here, wasn't he? What happened to him? Where is he?"

Winona shook her head mutely, unable to answer her daughter. "George, the shuttle's leaving." She said, desperately into her communicator, "Where are you?"

There was anguish in Winona's voice that caught Danielle's attention. She looked over at her mother, the fear evident in her eyes. It was only at this moment that she began to understand that something terrible was happening to her father, something that neither her mother nor her father had anticipated. Years later, she would remember this as the moment when the security of her life had been forever altered.

"Sweetheart, listen to me. I'm not gonnna be there." George's voice was filled with pain and desperation.

The full import of what this statement crashed over Danielle and Winona with all the force of a tidal wave. Winona completely lost any control that she might have had, sobbing with both the pain of her labor and the fact that her husband was about to die. "No."

"This is the only way you'll survive." George said.

"Please don't stay on the ship. You have to be here."

"The shuttles will never make it if I don't fight them off."

"George, I can't do this without you."

Danielle had never felt so utterly small and powerless as she had while listening to this conversation. Of course, she was only five years old; there admittedly wasn't a great deal that she could do. But she still hated the feeling of helplessness which gripped her. Why did things have to end like this?

Winona's sobs of grief turned suddenly to cries of pain. Her labor was starting in earnest now. The next few minutes would always be a little hazy in Danielle's memory, the scrams of her mother, the bright lights of the shuttle, and the distant sounds and flashes of firepower outside the shuttle all swam together. Only later would she learn that the auto pilot of the _Kelvin_ had been destroyed, and that her father had had no choice but to take the ship itself into the jaws of the monster ship.

The next thing that Danielle would clearly remember was the first cry of her baby brother as he entered the world. Her mother called her over, for even if she was emotionally and physically exhausted, she still wanted her daughter to meet her new son before anyone else. "Come over here, Danielle. I want you to see this."

Danielle hurried over to he mother, and clambered up to the side of the bed, to look at her new brother's tiny face. "What is it?" George asked, over the comm.

"It's a boy." Said Winona, tears of joy and sadness mingling together with each other.

"A boy?" said George, and for a split second, it seemed as though his imminent death was no longer the first thing on his mind. It was merely the joy of the fact that, for the third time, he had become a father. "Tell me about him."

"He's beautiful."

"He really is, daddy." Said Danielle, as he gazed down at her brother.

George's attention now moved to his daughter. "Danni, sweetheart, I'm so sorry that I'm going to be there for you, that I won't be able to watch you grow up. Promise me that you'll look after your brother for me."

"I promise, daddy." Said Danielle, for the first time, feeling herself beginning to cry.

"George, you should be here."

Over the comm., she heard the computer on the _Kelvin_ saying _"Impact alert_._"_ But George tried to ignore it. "What are we gonna call him?'

"We can name him after your father."

George laughed, a strained sound that betrayed the fact that his heart was breaking. "Tiberius, you kiddin' me? No, that's the worst. Let's name him after your dad. Let's call him Jim."

"Jim." Repeated Winona, almost smiling, though the tears were still streaking her face.

There was a terrible moment of silence, before George asked over the comm., desperate to hear the voice of his wife and daughter for a few seconds longer. "Sweetheart, Danielle, can you hear me?"

"We can hear…" said Winona.

"I love you both so much." George's voice had become distorted and distant, as the transmission started to break up. "I love you so much."

Static took over the comm., before it went completely silent. Almost the exact same moment, they began to feel the aftershocks of a massive explosion, as the _Kelvin _smashed into the Romulan ship, erupting in an inferno of destruction.

Winona broke down sobbing, cradling her two children against her as though they were now only life-line from being lost in a sea of despair. Danielle was also crying now. She may not have known all of the details; she really didn't need to. Only one thing did she truly understand and that was enough: her father was dead. Her life would never be the same again.

Hours passed. Danielle and her mother both held each other and cried. But Winona, exhausted by birth and death, soon fell into a deep, merciful sleep. However, Danielle remained wide awake. She was not so young that she did not understand death. She knew that her father was never coming back. Her mother was too overwhelmed by her own grief to be able to explain it to her. In her grief, she felt terribly alone.

Until she heard little Jim starting to fuss in his incubator. She glanced into the glass case, wondering what he, as a baby, could possibly be said about. Until she began to wonder, was he lonely, too?

The thought made her ask one of the nurses in the shuttle to open the incubator so that she could hold him. The first moment she held him in her arms was a moment that was indelibly marked on her memory. Jim stopped crying almost as soon as he was placed in her arms. He looked up at her with eyes so blue that they seemed a mirror reflection of her own. Danielle had a strange feeling that Jim, even if he was just a newborn, knew that he was safe with her.

It was a moment that she honestly felt the strength of her love for Jim, and a desire to protect him. She had already made her father a promise, but now, in the private intimacy of this moment, she made a promise that came straight from her own heart. "I promise you that I'll always be watching over you, Jim. You'll never, ever be alone."

Danielle Kirk would always remember the day when her life changed forever. It had been painted with the extremes of life and death; it would be the day when she found her focus and her purpose from many years to come.


	2. Chapter 2

**As I said in the first chapter, there are going to be a few differences in this story than there are in some Star Trek stories. As will become apparent in this story, there were Augments who survived the Eugenics War, and in the present age, they are known as Descendents. But as we will learn, some of the Descendents have some abilities which are more than a little unusual. I will admit that I was sort of inspired by the idea of the X-men, though besides the use of the Meta gene, there are really no more similarities. I will let the story explain for itself. **

Chapter Two:

They had always known that this day would come. It wasn't exactly a surprise that it had happened. Most of the Metas in his family had started to exhibit their gifts around this age. His own grandfather had been a telekinetic, and the Meta gene normally skipped a few generations. When she had been only a few months old, Christopher and Natalie Pike had been informed that their daughter had the active Meta gene.

However, he hadn't exactly expected her to show her gifts in quite this way. The incident that had occurred in her school that day had earned her a suspension and grounding from her parents. Keara, of course, had protested this multiple times, before retiring to her room to sulk.

She was stubborn. There could be no other word to describe it. She got it from her mother's side of the family. However, it fell to him to have the conversation that he had been waiting to have with her for ten years.

He entered the room, where his daughter was sitting on the bed. She was inherited the dark, brown hair and pert nose of her mother, but the blue, grey eyes were all his. He sat down beside her. She only glanced at him for a few seconds before going back to staring at the floor. Finally, Christopher said, "So, Keara, do you want to tell me what happened this afternoon during recess?"

"It wasn't my fault, dad." Said Keara. "That rotten bully, Joey, was beating up some of the younger kids. I tried standing up to him, like you told me I should do, but he… he laughed at me, and he teased me for being a Meta. He called me… he called me a freak."

Christopher had to restrain the protective anger that flared up in him when he heard this. Even after nearly 150 years since the concordances had been authorized by Starfleet and the Federation, and prejudice against Descendents and Metas could still be blindingly cruel. He didn't get so much of it himself, but to his little girl, his little Princess, it was something that he could truly get angry with.

Keara continued her story. "After that, I just sort of lost it. I got so mad. I wanted Joey to know what it felt like to be laughed at. And so I set his pants on fire."

"Yes we've heard this part from your teacher. The flames appeared on his lower body, even though there was nothing even resembling a match anywhere near you."

"He was only on fire for a few seconds daddy. He wasn't even hurt. I'm not sorry I did it, either. I would do it again if I had the chance."

"Keara." Said Christopher, sternly, "I'm not here to talk to you about that part."

Keara, who had been expecting another lecture, was a little confused by this. "You're not?"

"No, I came to ask you how you actually set fire to Joey, when you can't even use a match."

Keara struggled. "I don't know. It just sort of happened: it's really no different than all the other times."

Christopher raised an eyebrow. "All the other times? How long have you been able to summon fire out of thin air?"

"Well, it's the first time with a fire, but I can do the same thing with water. I discovered I could make water do funny things in a glass. It's really cool."

"How do you think you can do it?"

Keara's face scrunched up in concentration. "I think it's because I can see the little building blocks that make up the universe. My science teacher called them molli-cules. I can make them do things if I concentrate hard enough. With Joey, it was sort of split-second thing, but I had been thinking about it for awhile."

Christopher took a deep breath and said, "Okay, Princess, I want you to listen very carefully to what I'm about to tell you. You know what it means when I say we're Descendents, don't you? That we're the Descendents of Augments who had to hide their special abilities in the aftermath of the Eugenics Wars, right?" Keara nodded. She had heard that story many times before. "Good. Now, most Descendents are like humans, except we're slightly stronger and faster and have more attuned senses, some more than others, depending on the way their genome is arranged. And some of us are what's known as Meta."

"Meta?" said Keara, "I think I've heard you mention this when you talk about great grandpa."

"Exactly. Some Descendents have the Meta gene, which grants them a specific, enhanced ability. Your great grandfather was a telekinetic. He could move things, even very heavy, large things, with his mind. The Meta gene runs in our family."

"Then why don't you have it?"

"It really shows up every third or fourth generation. In fact, it's shown up in you, Keara, you're an Elemental."

Keara's face split into a grin. "Really? That's so cool! I'm like a superhero."

"Yes, I know. But you have to understand something very important. There are some people who don't like the Descendents, and they can be especially prejudiced against Metas. There might be some people who don't think your powers aren't so cool. They might even be afraid of you."

Keara frowned. "Why would they be afraid?"

Christopher had to take a moment to think on this one. He couldn't tell her the real reason. She was too young to understand the complex lineage of fear, hatred, and prejudice that overshadowed the struggle of the Descendents in their fight for equality. Nor was she old enough to know those emotions had roots that went even further back to a violent and bloody war, wherein both sides had been to blame.

She was not really ready to hear the story of her great ancestor, one of the most controversial figures of the Eugenics Wars. The names of Khan Noonien Singh and his wife and co-leader, Callista Ahern were names that had been slandered and vilified, lauded and admired by turns throughout history. For Christopher, he didn't want his daughter to have biased view of these two people. He would have to wait until she was older.

"Sometimes, people can be afraid of what they don't understand, or of what they perceive as different. It's human nature. Which is why Descendents and Metas need to show them that they're wrong."

Keara hung her head. "Is that why I'm being punished, because I scared somebody when I shouldn't have?"

"You're being punished because you attack another child on school property. However, Joey is getting a far more severe punishment then you are, and thanks to you, I doubt that he'll be abusing anyone smaller than him ever again."

"So, when will I know when I should use my powers and when I shouldn't?"

"You'll learn, Keara. This is really the start of a whole new way of life for you. But you don't have to be afraid; I'll be here to help you."

Keara smiled at him and gave him a big hug, the kind which only a daughter who has complete faith in her father can give. "I know that, daddy. You're always there for me."

Christopher couldn't help but laugh as he embraced her back. "I am, Princess. And I'll always try to be there for you, I promise."

**So, that sort of introduces the basic idea of what I am planning to do in this story. I hope that it is an interesting idea. As I said, it may not be exactly cannon, but I kind of like the idea of the Augments having a few more powers because of their genetic enhancements than the original story might have told us. **

**And yes, there was a subtle hint in this chapter which will play out in Star Trek: Into Darkness. The concept of lineage and family is going to be pretty important in this story. **

**For right now, please tell me what you think. **


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

**22 Years later…**

The bar was a well-known local dive for the recruitment tours that regularly came in from Starfleet Academy. Tonight was no different. The bar was abuzz with conversation in a dozen different alien languages, which clashed with the deafening music playing the background.

While serious altercations were rare, sometimes the liberal flow of alcohol could be just a little to free, causing things to get a little rowdy. Most of a friendly nature, but tonight, things at one table were taking a very different turn.

It was two male cadets, who had had a bit too much to drink and were starting to talk a little loudly on a certain subject that they would have better left alone. "I'm telling you, Luke," said one, who was tall and well built, with short, spiky red hair, slightly squinty green eyes and a nasally voice. "Things were just not easy this tour. I was under the impression that we were lookin' for real humans to recruit. Instead, half the people we speak to end up bein' those damn mutants."

"Yeah, I know what you mean, Kurt." Said Luke, who was slightly shorter and of a stockier build. He also had shoulder-length black hair, which seemed to be suffering from an overabundance of hair spray. "It sometimes feels that you can't swing a dead tribble without hitting at least ten Descendants. Who knew Iowa would have so many of them?"

"We've already got to many of their kind in Starfleet? What makes them think that we need more?" said Kurt.

"Oh, you know why Starfleet needs to meet its quota. They don't need to say it, but they've got one, everyone knows it. All the while pushin' young and deserving ordinary humans out of the picture. It's downright sad. I wouldn't be surprised if they someday try to take over the entire establishment."

They each took a deep drink of their respective beverages, and when they were ready to resume their conversation, they had found out that they had a third party who seemed interested in joining them, a very attractive party.

"Excuse me, gentlemen." Said the young woman, with chocolate curls, and bright blue eyes. She was smiling at them, but had the two men been more sober, they might have seen the sharpness in those eyes, and the sardonic twitch of her mouth. "I couldn't help but overhear your very interesting conversation. It's a subject that I have some rather strong opinions on. Do you mind if I join you?"

Luke and Kurt looked at each other and grinned. The thought of a score for that night between them was all they needed to make their evening. "Of course, you can join us, babe." said Kurt, as he pushed out a chair for her. "So, I assume that you've had some experience dealin' with those troublesome mutants?"

She smiled and laughed. "Oh, you would not believe it. I spend all my time with them, day in and day out. Sometimes it feels like I've lived with them all my life."

"Oh, you poor thing." Said Luke. "What unfortunate twist of fate brought you to that?"

"You know, little of this, a little of that. I didn't ask for it, it just sort of happened." She beamed them a close look and said, "But you know, the Metas are an entirely different story from the Descendants themselves."

"Oh, don't get me started." Said Kurt with a groan. "They're actually worse than the regular mutants, and that's saying something. They are so high and mighty."

"Yeah, just because they have those superhuman abilities, they think that they're better than the rest of us."

"I tell you; sometimes I think it would be better if the old restraints were put back in force."

"You would have the Descendants and Metas reduced back to second class citizens?" questioned the woman, and again, they didn't notice that her attention had shifted to their drinks.

"Well, maybe not that far." Said Luke, "I mean, I would like to think that humanity had grown beyond such simple prejudices."

"Of course," she said, ironically.

"But still, there has to be some sort of process for these people. Some way to control 'em and keep in line, especially those troublesome Metas. I mean, who knows what sort of trouble they could get up to if they're not controlled? Those telepaths, telekinetics…"

"Don't forget the Elementals." She said, and it was only at this point, that Luke and Kurt began to notice that something odd was happening to their drinks; they were beginning to bubble and steam, as though they were suddenly getting very hot. "Those Elementals are troublemakers if you don't know how to control them. Like say two jerks who are talking about things that could make an Elemental very angry. Under those circumstances, she could lose control do something crazy like this."

Suddenly, their drinks literally exploded. As there had been several different glasses and pitchers scattered all across the table the liquid cloud was considerable.

That was the strangest thing. The drinks exploded, splattering Luke and Kurt in the face. However, the great majority of it coalesced into a cloud above the table, which hovered there for a few seconds, and finally it split down the middle and coated them both in stick liquid. And the alcohol immediately froze on their clothing and bodies.

This occurred all in the space of about ten seconds. Both Luke and Kurt gave cries of surprise and leaped to their feet, trying to wipe the alcohol and icicles off of their clothes. They then suddenly understood who the person was that had been sitting by them. "You're… You're a-" said Luke.

Keara Pike smiled sweetly at the two of them, as she rose to her feet. "An Elemental Meta? Of course. I should have thought that two such perceptive gentlemen such as yourselves would have even able too pick up on that. Now, before either of you start lecturing me about the proper behavior of Metas or other Descendants such as myself in public; allow me to remind you of the proper behavior of Starfleet cadets in public. Are you aware that the comments you were saying just now could be considered racist, and that you could get in a lot of trouble if those comments were brought to your superiors' attention?"

Luke and Kurt looked at her, and then looked at each other. They hadn't exactly realized that with the amount they had been drinking, they had probably said more than they should have.

"Look, I'm feeling in a good mood tonight, so I'm going to just make the assumption that the two of you are just drunken idiots, and you don't know what you're talking about. Just try to do better in the future and get out."

Luke and Kurt looked at each other and gulped. For some reason, getting out of there actually seemed like a very good idea. They didn't like to think about what this Meta might if they stuck around. So, they beat a very hasty retreat.

This whole incident had gotten the attention of the entire bar, and even if conversation hadn't died down entirely, a great deal of the establishment were paying attention to the unfolding drama. Some of them were just looking for a distraction, but more of them passed sympathetic and supportive look in the direction of the young woman, who had so coolly stood up to prejudice.

As for Keara herself, she felt rather pleased with herself for having stood up to the face of prejudice. There was sometimes no reasoning with people, especially when they were drunk, loud and stupid. So, she had done the next best thing, showing them that Descendants and Metas never took that such talk lying down.

"I'll have another." She said, as she stepped up to the bar. "Displays like that tend to make me thirsty."

"Put hers' on mine." Said a voice that was a few feet from her. She turned her head to pick him out a man with a short, blond hair, blue eyes and a grin that Keara was sure was supposed to be charming. And a small part of her had to admit that it was working. "Thanks." She said, returning the smile, even as she made no move to get closer to him, which she was sure had been his ultimate goal. "To what do I owe this act of generosity from a complete stranger?"

"I saw what you did to those guys. I liked it. I would have said something to them myself, but your way was far more eloquent."

"I've run into their kind before. Thankfully, not often, but I've learned how best to react in that sort of situation."

"Still, there should be no excuse for that sort of thing. You'd think, after all these years, we could put that sort of thing behind us, but there will always be a few people who just can't seem to get their act together."

She clearly wasn't going to cooperate by going over to him, so the moment he could do so, he slid down the bar to stand beside her. "But, I'm sure you didn't come here tonight to experience such unpleasantness. So, let's move onto more important things, shall we?"

Keara looked up him up and down. Even she had to admit that this guy was pretty handsome, he was also trouble, bad boy trouble. Keara wasn't looking for a hook up or any sort of romantic entanglements, on the other hand, what harm could a little flirting do? "I agree. I'm Keara."

"Jim Kirk." He said, as they shook hands. "So, I take it from your little display back there that you're an Elemental Meta. You've got the power to control liquid and obviously not just water. You have any other talents in your bag of tricks?"

"Oh yes, I can conjure fire balls to incinerate people I don't like."

To his credit, Jim didn't seem to be put off by that statement at all. Indeed, he seemed to rise to the challenge it clearly laid down and said, "Well, I'll be sure to stay on your good side, then. You're also a Starfleet Cadet, aren't you?"

"Two for two, Jim, very impressive. I'm not in uniform. What gave me away?"

"I don't know, you just have a very studious air about you?"

Keara raised an eyebrow and laughed. "You know, if that's the best compliment you could come up with, you really need to work on your pick-up lines. Besides, I'm in a bar. Do you really think I could be called studious right now?"

"All right, maybe the truth is that I've seen enough cadets go through here that I know what to look for."

"A much better answer, I suppose you'll want to be asking what I'm studying."

"The basics of telepathy, because you seem to be reading my mind very easily."

"Oh no, I don't think I'd want to know what's going through your mind right now. Basically, I'm into computer programming, and I mean, deep programming. Give me any code of the most complex program, and I can work it down to its bare bones. Any security threat, I can find some way to defend against it. Any program, I can hack it."

Though she was pretty certain that he was just putting on an act, he looked genuinely interested. "Well, for someone who spends all of her time with computers you must have pretty quick fingers."

Keara looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Whether or not I have quick fingers is something you're not going to be finding out anytime soon. In fact, never."

Jim looked wounded. "You're rejecting me, just like that? The way we were getting along, I thought that we actually had something going."

"Oh, believe me, Jim Kirk, we don't. And I think we both know it. Besides, I don't think you could handle it."

Jim looked her up and down and his smirk grew wider. "I can't remember losing to someone as gracefully as you."

"Oh, so you have been rejected before?"

"No comment. Let's just say I've gotten a few black eyes in my time. And with your special talents, I really don't want to make you angry."

"Good idea."

"So, I should maybe quit while I'm ahead."

"Oh, yeah, definitely."

At this point, Keara moved away from Jim. She moved to a table in the back of the bar, hoping to enjoy the rest of her evening without anymore interference from racist jerks or flirtatious bad boys. Admittedly, she did keep an eye on that Jim Kirk, just because she was intrigued. Unlike most of the guys she encountered who tried to flirt with her; Jim Kirk actually seemed to have a brain on him, though he seemed to enjoy hiding it. Plus, he was easy on the eyes. There was no harm in looking was there.

One thing was for sure, he certainly recovered from heartache easily. No sooner had his eyes seen caught sight of another pretty face, than he moved in to see if he could do any better. It just so happened that his next attempt happened to be Uhura, one of Keara's friends at the Academy. Uhura was a brilliant linguist, and could decipher alien languages almost as easily as Keara could make sense of computer coding. It also happened that she was more interested in pursuing her academic career than she was at flirting with guys. She turned Jim down about as swiftly as Keara had done, only with quite a bit more sting. Keara found herself watching the verbal crossfire between them with amusement, until everything started to go wrong.

Hendorff, a cadet who was majoring in security, had gone along on the recruiting trip. For her own part, Keara didn't really like Hendorff. He wasn't necessarily a terrible person, but he seemed to think that since he was security, he was always right and he could do no wrong. He was also something of a bully, with his own little posse that seemed to back him up wherever he went.

It seemed that he had taken a notice to Jim Kirk ad Uhura's exchange, and had thought that he should step in, despite the fact that Uhura was clearly holding her own. She even told Hendorff that she didn't need his help. Although, to be fair to Hendorff, Jim did provoke him, even going so far as to call Hendorff a cupcake. That rather destroyed any hope of their being a peaceful solution to the problem.

Hendorff swung first, but Kirk was easily able to dodge, and delivered a punch to his stomach. When Hendorff was momentarily winded and out for the count, Kirk went for another of the cadets who was behind him. However, Kirk underestimated just how strong Hendorff's cronies would be. The cadet Jim had aimed for caught him, punched him and then threw him across a table. To his credit, Jim managed to get back to his feet quickly, and proceeded to land several punches to the cadets that were now surrounding him. However, despite his egotistical boasting (or his glowing self-confidence, as she had no doubt he would put it), he was outnumbered. Two of the cadets grabbed hold of Jim, and despite all of his efforts, Jim just couldn't get free.

Hendorff began to punch Jim repeatedly, refusing to let up, even when Uhura yelled at him to stop, even when Jim collapsed to the floor, blood flowing from his nose and bruises already beginning to form on his face. This was where Keara took exception to Hendorff, when he went beyond simply subduing an opponent and attempted to beat him halfway to death. When Jim collapsed, Hendorff and his fellow cadets began to go all out, punching and kicking Jim's prone form. He tried to fight back, but he was going to lose, and it was going to be a lot more than just his pride.

Hendorff had just picked up Jim and thrown him against a table, when he and his fellow cadets were suddenly sprayed by cold water that seemed to have appeared out of thin air. Hendorff and the others turned to stare in Keara's direction.

"Enough!" She cried, summoning a fireball from the same hand she had used to conjure water, "Leave him alone, or you'll be having third degree burns instead of water to deal with."

Whatever Hendorff 's reaction might have been, as well as those of his cronies would have been impossible to predict, because the entire room came to a stand still when an ear piercing whistle pierced the air, calling everyone's attention to he front door. There stood a tall man with blond hair, and piercing blue eyes. Something in his very presence imposed instant silence and stillness over the entire room. Hendorff and the other cadets could already tell that they were in a heap of trouble.

"Outside, all of you." Pike ordered, sternly, reserving the greater amount of scorn to the ones who were obviously responsible for the fight. The others filed out, most of them taking care to avoid making eye contact with Pike, all except Keara.

Pike turned his keen gaze on her and asked, "Cadet Pike, are you responsible for the current state of the uniforms on those cadets?"

"Yes, sir." She responded, formally. In their experience as commanding officer and cadet, they were always nothing more than formal. She never wanted any special treatment because she was the daughter of a well known captain in Starfleet.

"And I heard rumors on the way in that you were responsible for another disturbance this evening, though admittedly not one as serious as this."

"There was an incident, sir. There were two cadets trying to disparage Metas and Descendants. I might have… expressed my displeasure in a creative way."

Though Pike's expression remained stern, his mouth twitched ever so slightly into an approving smile. "It will be looked into. That will be all, Cadet."

Keara had to do her best to not to smile. "Of course, sir."

"Your dismissed, Cadet Pike."

Keara hurried past her father, but she couldn't help pausing at the door and taking a quick look back at Jim Kirk. He was draped backwards over a table, blood streaming from his nose and his face swollen and bruised from multiple blows. "You all right, son?" Pike asked.

And still, Jim had a smart retort, even if the delivery was somewhat slurred. "You can... whistle really loud, you know that?"

No sooner had the words out of his mouth, than he promptly passed out. Keara allowed herself to smile and shook her head. Whatever happened to Jim after tonight, she was willing to bet that his life would never again be the same.


End file.
